Norway’s DNV GL announced a project with partners Petrobras, Shell, Statoil and Woodside to standardize subsea processing systems. A simplified industry approach, the partners believe, will mitigate cost inflation and the low price of oil.

Currently, subsea operators often must develop custom solutions to meet field-specific requirements. With this project to standardize systems, DNV GL says it believes potential exists to deliver increased value at reduced costs. The company expects to increase predictability in the value chain, lowering transaction costs and improving the speed of implementation, while allowing freedom to innovate and use new technology.

The project aims to simplify and standardize subsea-processing systems. "One of the best ways to create value is by performing well in crisis situations,” says André Lima Cordeiro, executive manager of the Petrobras Research and Development Center. “Common specifications will potentially increase the number of business cases for subsea systems and bring synergies to the surface."

Subsea boosting systems provide the ability to increase recoverable reserves and further increase economic viability of a project by optimizing production, says Graham Henley, vice president of Projects – Upstream Operated and JV, Shell Projects & Technology. “For complex systems such as subsea pumping to be successfully and more widely deployed, overall system costs need to be significantly reduced. Alignment of operators and system suppliers through this standardization initiative can make a significant contribution in achieving this cost reduction goal.”

The project initially will focus on subsea pumping in two phases: developing a functional description for subsea pumping and specific targets for possible standardization; and then sharing industry knowledge and creating best practices.